Review - Ruthless

Title: Ruthless
Author: Anne Stuart
Publishing Date: August 2010
Genre: Historical
Rating: B
Sensuality: Hot
Book Disclosure: I received a copy from Paperbackswap.com

Ruthless is the first in a new series by Anne Stuart, The House of Rohan. Viscount Rohan, Francis Alistair has been the leader of the Heavenly Host which is a society dedicated to the deviant pleasures, the vices of life. He is bored and jaded until Elinor Harriman walks into his life. Elinor Hartman is a lady by birth, but her circumstances have left her and her sister in dire straits. She comes to his chateau looking for her mother before she gambles the last of their money away. Rohan toys with her and finds her quite the thing to eliminate his boredom. He is intrigued by her situation and he can't seem to keep her out of his mind. Somehow he finds himself being her protector.

I found Ruthless to be a very entertaining tale albeit a little over the top. It reads very dramatic. The characters swing either very bad or very virtuous. However, you easily know where everyone stands. By far the most interesting character was Lord Rohan. He is definitely the bad boy and jaded hero. He has no qualms looking out for his own interests. Yet after meeting the virtuous Elinor, he finds himself acting completely out of character. Actually what really is happening is that Elinor has brought out a part of himself that he has kept hidden.

What kept Ruthless from getting a higher grade from me (although a B is still quite a good grade) is the abrupt ending. I really felt like thing were wrapped up all too quickly. The romance between Elinor and Rohan for most of the story was divided by the bad boy falling for the good girl. There was not enough focus at the ending to wrap up all the details. All of the sudden Rohan and Elinor come together in this big crashing way yet the major issues holding them back earlier in the story were either not resolved or dealt with in a sentence or two. Everything was resolved much too quickly for my tastes. However, for those fans of Stuart who love her bad boy heroes, they are going to enjoy Rohan's personality. It’s a fun book, but it’s not without slight problems.

Here is what others had to say:
The Good, the bad, the Unread
One Book Away from Heaven
Smexy Books
Book Lovers, Inc.

Review - Prince of Magic

Title: Prince of Magic
Author: Anne Stuart
Publishing Date: 1998
Genre: Historical
Rating: C-
Sensuality: Warm

Elizabeth Penshurst has never fit in with her family. The only person who seems to understand her Fae nature is an old woman whom rumors claim is a witch. As hard as Lizzie tries to follow convention, it still manages to elude her. Finally she goes to far and is caught dancing in the woods in nothing but her shift and bare feet. Her father, in a last ditch effort, ships her off to Hernewood, Yorkshire where some of her distant relatives live. There, she is supposed to learn how to behave like a proper young lady. Instead, Lizzie finds herself embroiled in a secret Druid cult bent on making her their virgin sacrifice.

I struggled through most of Prince of Magic. What could have been a strong Gothic tale turned into a farce because of the laughably 'Eeevil' characters that make up the Druid cult. They didn't even come close to instilling any sort of fear in me and their motivation was entirely lacking. Also, I had issues with the hero, Gabriel. Many times the author told me how devilish Gabriel was, but she never showed me. Overall, the book was unable to evoke any kind of strong emotion from me.

About the only thing that saved this book from being a total disaster were the secondary characters Peter and Jane. The romance between Peter and Jane was good and I also liked Jane and Peter's interaction with Gabriel. There is a wall-banger moment when Peter rescues Jane that I am still shaking my head over. In conclusion, I am sorry to say that I do not recommend this book.



This book was part of Keishon's TBR Challenge 2009. This month the theme was tortured heroes or heroines. A list of particpants in this challenge can be found here.

Review - Angels Wings

Title: Angels Wings
Author: Anne Stuart
Publishing Date: 1990
Genre: Historical
Rating: B-
Sensuality: Warm

Angela Hogan's flight business isn't doing so well. Ever since her parents died in a fire she has been looking out for herself and her half-sister Constance. Angela has made a fairly decently life for herself through flying. She has a small shipping/flight school business. She has been having trouble recently with the local competition. Enter Jack Clancy, a loner and a drifter, but a damned fine pilot. Jack and Angela are like oil and water - they don't mix. If Angela wants her business to succeed she will need his help.

Angels Wings has a very unique setting. It takes place after the Great Depression in the 1930s. I liked how the slang of the the period came through in the writing. Also, historic events and songs and movies were referenced and that helped to set the background.

I liked Angela more than Jack. Jack was a definite jerk. He is basically a male chauvinist pig. They are both pilots, but Jack along with most of the other men in the book, think she should stay at home and just look pretty while the boys handle the business. Angela, of course is having none of it and does what ever she damn well pleases. She was an interesting heroine in that she is capable of handling a lot of responsibility running her flight school and business, but when it comes to men and her own sexuality she is completely clueless. Towards the end of the book Jack's character starts to come around but not enough to truly endear me to him, but enough that I found the ending satisfying.

One thing that bothered me with this story is the mysterious plot involving Angela's mechanic. He isn't who he says he is, but everyone but Angela figures out his real identity pretty quickly. It didn't make sense that Angela is the last one to figure it out, when logically she should have been the first person to do so. It just didn't fit with Angela's intelligence, or the reader's for that matter. It is just a little thing that irked me.


This review was part of Avid Book Reader's 2009 TBR Challenge. January's theme was category or series romance. You can view a list of other participants here.

Review - Heat Lightning

Title: Heat Lightning
Author: Anne Stuart
Publishing Date: 1992
Genre: Contemporary
Rating: B-
Sensuality: Warm

Caleb Spencer has come to the town of Turner's Landing to get revenge on Harrison Turner. Caleb was sent to prison for a murder he didn't commit because of Harrison and while nursing his grudge in jail he vowed to get his revenge. Jassy, Harrison's sister is Caleb's target. One thing Caleb has always excelled at is seducing women. Sweet, sheltered Jassy Turner won't know how to resist bad boy Caleb Spencer.

For a short book the characters were well developed. I liked how the weather and bayou came across as characters all on their own. I also thought it was very creative how Ms. Stuart was able to slowly unravel clues about Harrison and Caleb's past. Jassy slowly discovers her brother's true nature that she tries to deny. Events built up to a climax that coincided with the weather.

Ms. Stuart has a tendency to write anti-heroes and Caleb is no exception as he sets out to get revenge on Harrison by seducing his sister. This leaves the believability of the romance on shaky ground. Both Jassy and Caleb are likable and the relationship developed at a reasonable pace so it works out well. Jassy is a good combination of spit-fire and tenderness, so it's easy for the reader to like her. I tend to like stories were the heroine comes in and waltzes all over the hero and he doesn't know what hit him. But only when the hero thinks he is so macho and invincible. I love the irony of a little weak female bringing a strong willed man to his knees.

As for what I didn't like. The story felt a little dated, with the clothing and hair descriptions. I think the picture on the cover didn't help at all. It's one of those covers that the Smart Bitches would have a hay-day with. There are a few secondary characters that come across as cliched; Jassy's mother and sister-in-law and even the sheriff.